Toppington

Loved the recent experience at LGW Club Lounge. Plenty of space, lots of choice of seating for work/rest and charging points aplenty. Toilets very clean, not enough time to use the showers if there were any! Only slight negative was the hash browns with the breakfast service were not great - very wet inside. I am picky with hash-browns though, so maybe it's just me!

Corpt I very much agree with the other posts, and with my experiences flying to LGW luggage can be quick (once it's been on the carousel before me!) but also slow - have had a 50 min wait once. As sungod mentioned, even if you have priority luggage, it doesn't always turn up first, which is frustrating.

If you can purchase a ticket to travel before you get to Gatwick, it is much easier to dash to the station and hop on board a train - the station is VERY close to Arrivals at the South Terminal, I have sprinted from Arrivals to the platform in 2 mins (in a rush late at night!). More leisurely speeds are available.

Best of luck with your travels!

EJetter

Also handy to know that if you’re heading into London you can just tap a contactless credit or debit card on the ticket barriers.

DXB2745

noticed they’re opening up a Pret in arrivals where the massive Costa used to be and opposite the newish Greggs

linz36

We are departing at 7am or so next Saturday, and have booked the Bloc hotel for the night. Thameslink has been so unreliable lately, and on weekends especially, that this seemed like the safer option.

Is there twilight checkin?
Are there any reasonable places to go for dinner nearby the evening before? I presume we can't go airside and eat in the lounge the evening before...

bisonrav

presque pret alors

typical

You can check bags between 6pm and 9pm for flights before 1pm. See under Bag Drop: https://www.britishairways.com/conte...london-gatwick

No going airside the day before, and landside options are pretty limited (a Spoons, a Giraffe, and a pub - Nicholas Culpeper - that I've been told is the best you'll do there, but I've not tried myself). A lot more options if you're up for a quick train ride.

bisonrav

Yeah, I'd probably go to Brighton - there are a couple of restaurants open for the Amex platinum credit offer, the Curry Leaf is always reliably good, and there are dozens of every type of place to eat. It's only 30 or so minutes away. Crawley is a bit more difficult to get to and around. Quite a lot of restaurants including quite a good Turkish one near the station in Burgess Hill, you also have choices in Haywards Heath which is a shade nearer to Gatwick, but these are a little further from the station.

There are almost certainly better places to stay than the Bloc too, but depends to some extent on budget (as I recall the Bloc is stupidly expensive for what you get). I'd look at Premier Inns at the airport, there are a few, there's a Hampton Inn which is connected to the North Terminal but very easy to get to, and further afield I've used the Copthorne which I think has a shuttle (when I've stayed there it was for work events). For 7am staying somewhere somewhat nearby is a good call, but you could arrive at the airport at 6am and still be in plenty of time, even without fast track.

Yetak

Stayed at The Hilton at LGW S recently which was really convenient. 2 min walk into the terminal. You could always wander across to there for a bite , they did small plates in the lobby bar and burgers etc in the downstairs sports bar, there were other options as well but nothing looked outstanding. We ate in the lobby bar which was a steady 6.5/7 out of 10 although it definitely lacks a bit of atmosphere .

speedbird66

The OH and I are a big fan of the Bloc, although admittedly we now use it much less as its prices seem to have rocketed. The rooms are small, but very cleverly designed and comfortable. Combined with twlight bag drop, it's an unbeatable location for an early flight as the exit is right next to South Terminal security.
The Premier Inn at the North Terminal is another good option, but it's huge and the bar and restaurant often struggle to cope with the number of guests. We stayed at the Hilton a few years ago and found it really disappointing, with a shabby-looking, stuffy room and a saggy old bed.
For dinner, if you don't fancy the journey to Brighton, Crawley is very easy to get to - four trains an hour most of the day, ten-minute journey time. Not many fine dining options there, but there are all of the usual chain restaurants in walking distance of the station, as well as some decent independent places.
Yet another option is Jai Ho at the Coppingham Arms on Balcombe Road, walkable from the terminal, if you fancy a decent curry.

rockflyertalk

I’m not sure how many years ago that was but the Hilton has been refurbished throughout over the last few years, it’s far better than it was 5 or so years ago. Hilton’s bar down the escalator is fine for a few drinks and standard burger, it also has large TV screens if you want to watch sport.

Otherwise I agree to venture on the train for a meal. Not much at LGW for dining.

endoman

I'll be in the Block tomorrow night and will just eat in the terminal. Spoons will suffice. 3 1/2 hours on the train to get there..... Last visit to Sofitel was disappointing, so saving some cash. Gold runs out at end of month, so last visit to the F Lounge for breakfast.

linz36

Thank you for the suggestions. The Bloc was £110 for the Friday night, which was substantially cheaper than the other options. We have been before, so we know what we are getting, and as they say, its all about the location! A few years ago we were cheap and stayed in the Travelodge, and the extra faff of getting to the terminal from there was not worth the savings.
The Jai Ho at the Coppingham Arms is an interesting option, perhaps we will try that.

Corpt

Just coming back on this. It ran like clockwork this morning. Gate arrival at 9:42 with priority checked bags on a long haul. We were standing on the platform for a couple of minutes waiting for our 10:16 train. Perfect experience.